The invention relates generally to the control of lights. In particular, the invention relates to the control of strings of lighting elements to provide multiple lighting effects and sequence lighting patterns.
A number of U.S. patents disclose the conventional control of switching and brightness of decorative or display lighting sets using lighting controllers. In low-end implementations, a lighting controller either works in a stand-alone mode or is connected to a computer so that a user may change the sequence of switching and brightness of lighting elements. These lighting controllers are thus not designed for large-scale deployment other than in situations where restricted extensions of decorative lighting occur through the use of additional powering devices. In situations where large numbers of lighting controllers are deployed, lighting operations are not synchronized because each lighting controller has an independent timing mechanism and therefore operates independently.
Conventional lighting control operations also typically involve use of various forms of logic gates or mechanical devices and resistive/capacitive pairs (RC) to generate timing to control the intensity and the duration of lighting. Thus, such lighting control operations do not involve changing profiles of brightness directly by software. The lighting control operations are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,890,000, 4,125,781, 4,215,277, 4,678,926, 5,300,864, and 5,629,587.
With conventional lighting control operations, there are a number of limitations. For example, in many situations involving lighting decorations, such as the decoration of plants and trees in a garden, conventional xe2x80x98discoxe2x80x99 lighting effects with flickering and flashing lights may not suit the quiet and restful environment found in a garden. Additionally, the electric current drawn by a large number of lighting elements such as light bulbs in situations requiring large-scale deployment of lighting decorations may be more than what a stand-alone lighting controller delivers.
It is therefore clear from the foregoing limitations that a different type of lighting controller is necessary.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention a lighting controller for performing lighting control operations of decorative lighting elements is provided. The controller comprises a processor and an electricity supply connector to which a lighting element is connectable. The controller also comprises a switching device for delivering electricity supply to a lighting element connected to the electricity supply connector. The processor calculates the timing and duration for modulating the lighting element brightness and accordingly actuates the switching device to deliver electricity supply to the lighting element.